To what extent, Right to Information has been able to enable the transition of country from the secrecy regime of the colonial era to a more modern and democratic transparency regime of today. Examine Critically.

Hint:
RTI Act of 2005 transformed India into a transparent and accountable system from culture of secrecy imposed due to Official Secrets Act 1923. Howver, there are certain provisions that still keep OSA prevail. In case of a clash between the Official Secrets Act and RTI Act of 2005; the decision will be based on public interest. However, the main challenge is the interpretation of “public interest” mentioned in RTI Act. The secrecy in government operations is has to be limited by absolute necessity by keeping the confidentiality strictly time-bound. The NDA government has set up LC Goyal committee to look into the provisions of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 (OSA) in light of the Right to Information Act, 2005. The committee should recommend for amendment of Officials Secrets Act to promote transparency in governance.